Liya Kebede

"If you don't have a dream in life, I don't know what you have. You have to want something beyond your reach; it's exciting when it works out." -Liya Kebede

Liya was the first woman of African origin to become the face of Este Lauder, which turbocharged her career and made her a new favorite with just about every label. She has since become an inspiration for minority models to aim for the top.

SEX APPEAL

Liya's sexiness springs from her uniqueness in the fashion world. She doesn't have feminine curves or an arousing aura. The exquisiteness of her face and the way she looks in dresses are the main ingredients of her allure.

SUCCESS

Liya Kebede never gave up, even when all indications told her to. Her determination in the face of staggering odds would be considered foolish by normal standards. She got nowhere in Paris or in Chicago. New York showed little promise. Liya needed a visionary, someone who refused to accept the tried-and-true status quo. She found one in Tom Ford.

The Gucci artistic director put Liya in a show, and suddenly all the people who had avoided her calls were dialing frantically to reach her. Contracts with Donna Karan, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana followed, as did a multimillion-dollar deal with Este Lauder.

Liya Kebede Biography

Liya Kebede was born in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on January 3, 1980. She grew up in a comfortable middle-class family, the only girl among four boys. Growing up in such an environment, Liya developed few girly traits, and exhibited little interest in fashion other than a Naomi Campbell poster in her room.

Liya wasn't endowed with the features traditionally favored by Ethiopian men -- namely, a curvaceous figure and big eyes. Instead, hers was a model's figure; tall and thin. So she figured she'd try her hand at modeling, starting with a fashion show at her school. An art director noticed her and introduced her to a French modeling agency. After finishing her studies, Liya packed up and moved to Paris.

liya kebede marries kassy

Liya toiled for a long time at the bottom rungs of the fashion world. Because the industry preferred fair Caucasian women and the occasional Asian girl, there was a very narrow likelihood that Liya would ever achieve the success of other black models, like Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek and Iman.

Ever persistent, Liya moved to Chicago, then to New York City in 2000. Despite being in the fashion world's capital, she still faced consistent rejection, excluding the occasional lukewarm catalog job. During this time, she married her husband, Ethiopian hedge-fund manager Kassy Kebede.

liya kebede signs with estee lauder

Liya's career would turn around during a Milan fashion show, when Gucci creative director Tom Ford took notice of her. He cast her in one of his shows, and suddenly all the big names that had ignored Liya were lining up. She did runway work for Donna Karan, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as editorial shoots for both the American Vogue and its French edition (who later followed up with a whole issue in Liya's honor).

In April of 2003 came Liya's biggest modeling coup. Este Lauder, trying to shake its image as a stale, middle-aged designer, gave her a multimillion dollar contract, making Liya the first black face of the label in its 60-year history.

In the hustle of it all, Liya had a son, Suhul. She continues to focus on her family life as much as she does her career. In 2005, the World Health Organization, prompted by her devotion to motherhood, appointed her Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. When she's not traveling the world raising awareness for the health of mothers and children, Liya lives in New York City with her son and husband.